Multiplex tub for card files



P 23, 1958 's. L. MILL-ER ETAL 7 2,853,354

' INVENTORS. Sfanleg Limiller' Raqmond. L myers S. L. MILLER ETAL MULTIPLEX TUB FOR CARD FILES Sept. 23, 1958 2 She ets-Sheec 2 Filed Opt. 24, 1952 INVENTORS. m 'L l l e 1* Sccmleq L Raymond LJTlgers ca ATTORNEY United States Patent MULTIPLEX TUB FOR CARD FILES Stanley L. Miller, Worcester, and Raymond L. Myers, Holden, Mass., assignors to The Wright Line, Inc., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 24, 1952, Serial No. 316,638

1 Claim. (Cl. 312-297) This invention relates to a multiplex tub for card files and more particularly to a shallow horizontal tub file mounted on supporting legs and provided with a cover which is arranged to hold and protect cards arranged vertically therein.

In tub files of this type, cards are supported either in removable trays or between vertical partitions fixed in the tub. The legs are made of such heights that the user of the card file may either stand or sit down in front of the cards. The increasing use of the electric accounting machine and the requirement for storing the cards punched thereby, as well asthe necessity for quick access to and removal of the cards for feeding them through the machine, makes it important that the cards be stored in compact and readily accessible condition and yet be protected from dust and damage. As the accounting department grows, the need for further files creates a space problem, and it is desirable that the card tubs be so placed that they occupy a minimum of space and permit easy access thereto.

In accordance with our invention We have provided a card index tub construction which provides for the use of a single tub or a series of tubs connected end to end as a unitary structure and wherein the cards are protected by means of one or more sliding covers arranged thereover.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a construction of this type and satisfy the above indicated space requirements and which is somade that a plurality of tubs may be rigidly connected together and an intermediate leg may be substituted for an end leg and rigidly mounted at the connection between two tubs and wherein a tambour cover may be slidably mounted on each tub section so that it may cover the cards fully or in part and be withdrawable longitudinally into the space at the ends of and beneath each tub and wherein these tambour covers and tub sections are so mounted that a single posting board may traverse the entire length of the assembled group of tubs without interference. Further objects will be apparent in the following disclosure.

' Referring to the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a complete unit formed of two connected tubs with an intermediate supporting leg;

showing the front side of one tub;

f Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section through a end leg;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical section of the left hand intermediate end of the right hand tub of Fig. 1 and which is in position to be moved horizontally and mounted on the adjacent end leg of Fig. 6 to form a single tub unit; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional detail of the tambour or slide cover in its track.

The drawings illustrate a multiplex tub file comprising two tub units 10 and 11 assembled end to end and supported 0n duplicate end legs 12 and an intermediate leg 13. Each tub unit 10 and 11 is provided with a separate slidable tambour cover 15. Although the construction is adapted for carrying removable card tray units, it has been shown as comprising sets of cards 16 mounted between partitions 52 fixed within the file tub. A posting board 18 is movably mounted on rollers which ride on tracks formed by the tops of the front and rear walls of the tubs, and the tubs are so constructed that the side walls form a continuous track for the posting board irrespective of the number of tub units that are assembled end to end. The legs 12 and 13 are removably secured to the tubs, and the latter therefore form complete individual units which may be assembled singly on two end legs 12 or in a multiplex unit having two end legs 12 and one or more intermediate legs 13.

' The tub units are identical in construction. Each comprises an inside side wall 20 (Figs. 4 and 5) forming either the front or the back of the tub. This wall is shaped at its upper end to provide an inwardly opening and outwardly projecting U-shapedv or flanged portion 21 having an in-turned end shaped to carry an outside panel 22. The lowed end of the wall 20 is likewise shaped to form an inwardly opening U-shaped channel portion 24. Two strengthening Z-shaped angle members 26 and 27 are respectively welded to the outer sides of the U- members 21 and 24. The side panels 22 are shaped plates having inwardly curved top portions 23 hooked around the upper wall portion 21. The bottoms of the panels have inwardly projecting flanges 25 snapped into place under the bottom of the U-portion 24 and suitably secured. The Z-shaped angleirons 26 and 27 locate and support the middle portion of the panel 22. A shaped cap 28 of stainless steel is suitably secured as by a bolt to the top corner and interlocked with the inwardly turned flange of the portion 21 of the panel 20. a

Each end of the tub is'a frame comprising two vertical angle plates 30 (Fig. 4) forming the four corner posts of the tub. A pair of spaced upper and lower horizontal angleirons 32 and 33 are secured to the corner plates and thus form a rectangular frame. The corner posts 30 fit inside of these angleirons 32 and 33 and are welded thereto. An inwardly extending Z-shaped plate 36- is bolted at 37 to the downwardly depending flange of the angleiron 32. The vertical portion 38 of the plate 36 forms the inner end wall at the left hand end of the tub compartment. The vertical portion 38 has a flange 40 welded to the sidewall 20 which insures rigidity. The right hand plate 38 (Fig. 2) which forms a side of a card compartment has a flange at its top welded to and supported only by the side wall 20, and it depends to a position near the bottom 46 and above the channeled tambour trackway 24 which has its vertical portion 43 between the plate 38 and the end wall frame.

As shown in Fig. 2, the right hand plate 38 is spaced inwardly to provide room for the descending portion 43 of the tambour track, and it extends downwardly to form a stop for the bottom plates.

The tambour track is a U-shaped channel bar bent in the form of a U, as shown in Fig. 2, and shaped to provide upper and lower horizontal portions 41 and 42 connected by a vertical portion 43. This track occupies the lower portion of the channel 21, the upper part of J the channel serving for securing the ornamental side and corner portions 22 and 28. The tambour rides in the track and is arranged to move from a fully closed position in the upper track portion 41 to a fully open position where it is concealed in the vertical and lower portions 43 and 42 of the track.

The lower horizontal part 42 of the tambour track is spaced from the upper part of the in-turned U-portion 24 of the wall (Fig. 4) to provide a horizontal slot 45. The bottom of the tub is formed of a set of shaped plates 46. Each plate has downwardly projecting flanges 47 and a 'U-portion 48. A rod 49 is removably secured in the portion 48 by means of upwardly bent tabs, and it is arranged to pass through holes in the index cards to form divisions between groups of cards mounted in place on the bottom 46. 'Each bottom plate 46 is a separate piece and it is slid horizontally 'sidewise from the left through the slot until stopped by the right hand end plate 38. Vertical partitions 52 are plates loosely ins'erted between each pair of bottom plates 46 and are moved along into place, where outwardly projecting tabs 53 on each plate 52 is inserted into holes 54 in the front and back side plates 20, the plate 52 being suitably bent to spring the tabs 53 into place. After the bottom plates 46 and the vertical plate 52 have been assembled, then they may be suitably secured as by means of screws engaging the last bottom plate. The two end plates 38 at the opposite ends of the tub form the sides of the end compartments for the cards.

The end legs 12 are made of substantially rectangular cross section and as shown in Figs. 1 and 6 they may be ornamentally shaped with rounded corners or otherwise to provide a pleasing appearance. Each comprises a sheet metal member forming a smooth outer wall and shaped to provide a short downwardly extending inner plate portion 61. A plate 62 bent to a vertical LJ-shape forms the inside wall of the leg and is suitably welded to the leg piece 60. Strengthening angleir'o'ns may be inserted inside of the leg, if desired. A shaped piece 63 has a lower flange secured to the leg plate 62, and its upper A horizontal flange forms a ledge to carry the angleiron 33 (Fig. 7) of the end wall frame. Figs. 6 and 7 may be considered as an exploded view of the leg and tub. An angleiron 39 is suitably welded to the underside of the flange 24 of the side wall 20 and positioned to project downwardly from the bottom of the tub where two or more bolts may connect that angleiron with nuts 65 that are suitably welded inside of the up-turned U-portion of the U-piece 63 that is secured to the wall 62. Also, two or more nuts 66 are suitably welded inside of the upper portion of the plate 61 and adapted to be engaged by bolts passing through holes 67 in the wall 38 and flange 32 of Fig. '7. Thus the tub is held in place by the two sets of bolts and nut 65 and 66 of which there may be a suitable number extending horizontally and lengthwise of the leg.

When two tub units are to be connected together, as indicated in Fig. l, the inner end leg 12 of each of these units is removed and replaced by the intermediate leg 13. This leg 13, as shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises sheet metal shaped to form a. hollow tubular body 70 of substantially rectangular cross section. The upper part of this leg'has a strengthening U-shaped channel iron 71 inserted horizontally therein and welded in place. A further channel member 72 is secured in place at the bottom of the leg, as by welding, and this has a nut 74 welded thereto, which supports the screw 75 of an ad justabledisk shaped button or foot 76. These parts are so arranged that the supporting button 76 may be raised or lowered to level the tub. Each of the end legs 12 may be likewise shaped at its lower end and provided with similar buttons 76 that are adjustable in height, so as to regulate the height of the legs and adjust the tubs into an exact horizontal position. To fasten the intermediate leg in place, this leg is connected by the bolts 78 (Fig. 2)

4 to the vertical fianges of the downwardly projecting angleirons 39 (Figs. 2 and 7) of the two tubs. Also, a further bolt 79 (Fig. 2) passing through the adjacent upper flanges 32 of the tubs is secured by a nut 79a on the inside of one flange 32. This secures the tubs rigidly together.

The tambour or slide cover may be suitably constructed. As illustrated in Fig. 8, it comprises sheet metal slats 80 which are shaped at their long edges to provide an inside partially cylindrical portion 81 at one edge which slidably interfits in the enlarged portion 82 of another slat. That is, each slat has the interfitting portions 81 and 82 at its respective edges. These parts are so shaped and arranged, and the width of the slats is such that the tambour cover may slide around in the two opposed U- shaped tracks 41, 42, 43 located at the front and back of the tub. The tambour of each tub is a separate unit that slides lengthwise of the tub, and it is so arranged that it may expose all of the cards or only part at one end of the tub. A handle 84 on each tambour is so shaped as to prevent the cover from escaping downwardly into the lower U-slot 42 and it serves for sliding the cover to and from its desired positions.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the posting board 18 is preferably constructed to provide an upper horizontal tray of wood or plastic which is carried on two opposed angleirons 86, each of which is welded to a downwardly projecting member 87 that serves to support the inner ends of a pair of flanged rollers 88. The outer end of each roller is carried on a downwardly projecting part 89 of an angle member suitably welded to the angleiron 86. The top 90 of the front and back side plates 22 or the ornamental Monel part 28 secured thereon are level and so arranged as to form a continuous rail having their parts in contact at the intermediate joints when the middle leg 13 is used. The posting board 18 is high enough above the handles 84 so that there is no interference as the posting board is moved from one end to the other of the multiplex tub.

In this construction, each tub is formed of two metal end wall frames made of the flanged members 30, 32 and 33 rigidly welded or otherwise secured to the two shaped vertical front and back metal walls 20 as shown in Fig. 4. The walls 20 are shaped to provide the lower horizontal flanges 24, and strong angleirons 39 are welded on the under side thereof. These angleirons 39 are so positioned that they will serve to secure either an end leg or an intermediate leg in position, as shown in Figs. 2, 6 and 7. There is preferably no bottom to the open frame structure except the slidable bottom plates 46, and these are slid into place as described with the vertical partitions 52 therebetween to form the card supports and provide for the locking rod 49, as well as compressors which may be mounted in the groove 48 to hold the cards tightly clamped together when desired. Since the tambour is moved lengthwise of the tub, the metal slats of the tambour are supported by the front and back walls which are much more closely spaced than are the end walls. This construction is therefore such that each unit of the multiplex tub is complete in itself, and yet one of its end legs may be removed and the end frame at that end may be bolted to a similar end frame of an adjacent tub and to an intermediate leg that is supported by the same flanges which initially carried the end legs. It is to be noted that the end legs are single units extending the full height and width of the tub and forming a part of the ornamental design as well as imparting rigidity to the tub. The intermediate leg 13 likewise extends substantially the full width of the tub and so is a single unit adapted to replace two single end leg units and to be mounted by the same fastenings.

Various advantages will be apparent in this structure, and it will be appreciated that suitable constructional modifications may be made within the principles of the invention herein described. The drawings and description set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention, and the claims are to be interpreted as not being limited. thereby.

We claim:

A card file tub comprising end walls and front and rear side walls rigidly secured together and forming an open tub body, said side walls being shaped metal plates having inwardly opening upper and lower horizontal channels, a flexible tambour, U-shaped channeled tambour slideways mounted in said channels and slidably supporting the tambour, said lower channel being wider than the slideway therein and providing a space, separate floor plates slidably mounted in said space in the lower channel and forming the tub bottom, and partitions between and positioned by the floor plates which are secured to the side walls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 971,751 Hoyt Oct, 4, 1910 1,739,730 Orthwine Dec. 17, 1929 1,786,628 Ohnstrand Dec. 30, 1930 2,107,997 Horsley Feb. 8, 1938 2,150,640 Stephens Mar. 14, 1939 2,688,527 Wright Sept. 7, 1954 

